My husband and I are taking a trip in mid-June to Italy for our 30th birthdays and have booked our round trip flights to Rome. We are planning to visit Rome, Positano and Capri. Originally we were thinking of starting the trip in Rome (since I can never sleep on planes and usually feel miserable the first day and don't know if I'll have the stamina to continue on to the Amalfi Coast). We have tentatively planned:

3 nights in Rome (any ideas for a reasonable hotel less than 250e near the Spanish Steps?)
2 nights in Positano (have booked Hotel Marincanto)
2 nights in Capri (have booked Hotel Minerva)
1 night back in Rome near the train station (would arrive in Rome just in time for dinner and one night stay before taking the train to the airport in the morning for our flight home)

I am thinking this is probably not the best plan to split up our nights in Rome on either end of the trip- as moving around is a pain. Do you think we'll prefer to have one more night in Positano and reduce one of our nights in Rome? Or should I just deal with the exhaustion on our first day and start the trip with 2 nights in Capri (since it is closer to Rome than Positano), then 3 nights in Positano, and then end with 3 nights in Rome? Not sure if 2 nights in Positano and 2 nights in Capri is enough time on the Amalfi Coast. How many nights/days do you really need in Rome?

Any suggestions or ideas of how to best organize this itinerary would be helpful! Thank you.

First, when are you flying into Rome? If you are arriving early morning, what are you planning to do until you can check into your room? Would you have wished you have traveled straight to the Amalfi Coast on arrival?

We arrive at 10:20 am in Rome on Saturday, and our flight departs out of Rome at Noon on the following Sunday. I was thinking that we would just drop our bags at the hotel in Rome and have lunch nearby while we wait to check in. But now thinking it may make more sense to go straight to Capri first so we don't end up having to do Rome both at the beginning and the end of the trip.

Given your short time I would head to the Amalfi Coast upon landing in Rome. We did it...a long trip, yes, but you're anxious to start your vacation and the first day is usually a wash anyway. I'd stay 4 nights in Positano - unless you really don't mind the packing and unpacking - and then return to Rome for four nights. We stayed in Positano for four nights and I wish it had been longer. If you're interested in a private driver for any trip involving the Coast, I can highly recommend Francesco. We used him several times, including our transfer from Rome to Positano, and my sister-in-law and myself wanted to take him home. http://www.francescomarrapese.com/

The Amalfi Coast is stunning. I also recommend http://www.latagliata.com/ for dinner. We had such a good time here and the food doesn't end.

Have a great trip.

If you are able to change your hotel plans, i agree with travelfan that it is better to go directly to Positano and stay there for 4 nights before finishing in Rome for 4 nights, with Capri as a day trip.

>How many nights/days do you really need in Rome?<

That depends on your interests, obviously, about which you don't unfortunately tell anything. Rome being this planet's most fascinating city for lovers of history, art and architecture, I would "really need" three entire years in Rome to see everything I want to see, so that's roughly 1100 nights.
Seriously, with such a short trip (merely 8 nights), I'd either stay put in Rome. Or do the Amalfi Coast and Capri, and include Pompei and Ercolano, either as daytrips from the Amalfi Coast, or - preferably - spending one or two nights in the area.

We stayed at Hotel Scalinata di Spagna at the top of the Spanish steps in 2006 and it was reasonably priced. It's right across from the Hassler. I would not stay in a hotel near the train station, bad area. I did that once, and it was ok, but you don't want to end your trip with a downer.
I'm going to disagree with some of the previous posters, stay in Rome when you first get there. It's a 2 hour drive from Rome to Naples, then another hour or so to either drive around the mountains, or over them (that's an adventure) to get to Positano or to take a ferry from Naples to Capri. Capri is beautiful and I don't think you really have time to experience it on a day trip. We've stayed there for a couple nights on 2 occasions. You're going to want to rent a little inflatable to go around the island, or hire a little Italian dayboat with captain. You then transfer into a small skiff to go into the Blue Grotto. You can't go there without seeing it. If you rent your own inflatable there are other grottos you can explore on your own. Then there's AnaCapri, way up on the top, you take a bus up there. And there's a beautiful restaurant in Capri where you sit under lemon trees, you want to be able to eat dinner on Capri. I love Positano, too.
Definitely hire a driver, we have used Carmine - http://www.seeamalficoast.com/ many times and have had friends rave about him, too.
He is based in Naples and will give you a great tour/history on the way from Naples to the Amalfi coast. You could also stop in Pompeii on your way if you were doing it on a fresh day. He also works with people in Rome, he introduced us to Suzanne who was born in Italy, moved to the US as a child, then returned as an adult. She spoke English like an American and had excellent knowledge of the Vatican, she took us on a tour of the Vatican.

So exciting! Have a great trip

Thanks to all for the responses! We decided to go ahead and make the trip to Capri as soon as we land in Rome to cut down on moving around.

Unfortunately La Minerva is no longer available for our new dates in Capri, but we booked a standard room at Hotel Luna (nice to save a bit compared to La Minerva's prices). Has anyone stayed in a standard room at Hotel Luna or have any thoughts on the hotel?

We also changed our Rome hotel to the Daphne Inn Veneto. It got great reviews and sounds like it is in a good location. Anyone have feedback on their stay at that hotel?

Thanks again!